Specimen collection and transport for anaerobes culture

Success in anaerobic culture closely depends on good conditions used in the collection and transport of specimens. The importance of collecting specim ens so as to avoid contamination with indigenous flora is emphasized. Speci mens must be protected from the deleterious effects of oxygen until they ca n be cultured. There is no specimen for which a swab is the ideal collectio n process; only when no other options are available and the resulting infor mation is judged to be important clinically should a swab be accepted for a naerobic culture. Any aspirate material from a normally sterile body site i s acceptable after skin preparation and disinfection. Pus and localized flu id collection should be aspirated via needle and syringe. Then, a new steri le needle, after pushing the air out, should be used to inject the material into an anaerobic transport vial. When the site is difficult to puncture, it is necessary to use a curette or vigorous swabbing to collect material f rom below the surface after discarding contaminated surface tissues. Ca-alg inate swabs must be used and should be placed immediately into an anaerobic transport system. Any tissue or material obtained during surgery should be appropriate for anaerobic culture placed into an anaerobic transport syste m or sterile box if laboratory processing occurs within one to two hours. B lood or infernal body fluids are injected directly into anaerobic blood cul ture bottles. Specimens should be transported and held at room temperature; refrigeration is unfavourable. The recovery of clinically significant anae robes in well-collected and transported specimens is then possible if the l aboratory uses appropriate anaerobic culture methods such as the anaerobic chamber (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.